TACKLING DIGITAL INEQUALITY IN GREATER MANCHESTER - Tech with social purpose
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Tech with social purpose
TACKLING DIGITAL
INEQUALITY IN
GREATER MANCHESTER
January 2022
Social Value Report
Our mission: help make Greater Manchester
an even better place to call home
Nobody should be left behind on the digital This is all part of our commitment to
transformation journey. And we’re committed deliver part of the UK’s largest Local
to making sure they’re not. Full Fibre Networks Programme (LFFN),
a government-backed scheme designed
Our longstanding relationship with
to give more people and organisations
Greater Manchester is proof of that.
access to the connectivity they need
In 2019 we rolled out our gigabit home to thrive.
broadband service throughout the city,
Our most recent study with the Centre for
giving around half a million homes access
Economics and Business Research (Cebr)
to hyper-fast broadband services.
found that continued investment in digital
Since then we’ve extended our network change projects could increase UK GDP
advancements to bring enhanced connectivity by £236bn, or 6.5%, by 2040.
to more than 1,500 public sites across Greater
This is directly helping people and
Manchester, laying over 2,000 kilometres of
businesses to succeed, driving economic
new fibre optic cables in the process and
growth, creating jobs and improving the
enhancing its position as a leading
daily lives of everyone in the area.
European digital city-region.
Page 2
Social Value Report
Yet while this is a brilliant opportunity for the UK, Together we are making sure that every metre
it’s important that everyone can benefit from this of cable laid and every hour spent is directly and
growth. The benefits of digital change will only positively impacting the lives of people who live
be a true success if they are accessible and work in Manchester.
for everyone.
The success of this programme so far and
From transport and economic growth to the ambitious plans we have for the future hinges
skills, education and healthcare, investment on our close relationship with GMCA. Throughout
in fast, reliable connectivity is at the heart this partnership we have been able to ensure that
of public sector transformation across the value of the connectivity we provide goes far
the UK. beyond the infrastructure itself.
And a crucial element of this partnership In this report we will explore how our work with
is our commitment to deliver social value GMCA is setting the bar for future social value
to Greater Manchester (i.e. tech investment projects at a local and national level.
that has a positive impact on its people,
By working in true partnership with local
organisations and environment).
authorities, businesses and other stakeholder
Greater Manchester Combined Authority groups, it is possible to revolutionise the everyday
(GMCA)’s Digital Blueprint and Strategy was for public sector organisations and the citizens
instrumental in shaping the technology we they serve.
provide and our social value commitments
to this project and our wider public
Jo Bertram, Managing Director,
sector customers.
Virgin Media O2 Business
Page 3
Social Value Report
Pioneering a new way of working for GMCA, our local
authorities and Virgin Media Business
In Greater Manchester, we have a £5 billion The deal was the result of close partnership
digital ecosystem and we’re putting people working between GMCA, Greater Manchester’s
at the heart of our digital ambitions. We are local authorities, Fire & Rescue Services and
well known for doing things differently and Transport for Greater Manchester and is
collaboration is integral to what we do. backed by millions of pounds of funding
from central government.
In March 2020, Greater Manchester secured
world-class digital infrastructure through the This report, exploring and highlighting the
biggest government full-fibre investment in the impact of the social value programme, comes
UK. On behalf of our 10 local authorities, GMCA at a pivotal time in Greater Manchester’s
appointed Virgin Media Business to deliver digital ambitions. Ambitions that put our
up to 2,700km of new fibre optic broadband residents at the heart of our plans as
infrastructure across the region connecting we work towards our objective of
more than 1,500 public sites throughout becoming recognised as a world
Greater Manchester. leading digital city-region.
The LFFN programme focusses on collaboration This programme has brought local and
and creating services designed to serve the central government together for a common
majority, as well as our future generations. goal, supercharging our digital capacity and
Securing the right infrastructure, that not helping our public sector sites to continue
only considers where we are now, but delivering the best possible services to
where we will be in 30 years’ time is vital. local residents.
Andy Burnham,
Mayor of Greater Manchester
up to
2,700km
of new fibre optic
broadband infrastructure
across the region
connecting more than
1,500
public sites throughout
Greater Manchester
Page 4
Social Value Report
Early learning from the programme has
led to the creation of the Greater Manchester
Social Value Framework. The framework sets
out several opportunities across the city region
where businesses can help address the needs of
Greater Manchester’s people – pioneering a new
way of working for GMCA, our local authorities
and Virgin Media Business.
And despite the challenges of Covid-19,
including a need to refine the programme’s
social value plan to better reflect an
everchanging position across the region,
this report shows significant progress
has been made.
Launching the Greater Manchester
Technology Fund in March 2020 is just
one notable achievement – in response to
the first lockdown, the fund was created to
support young learners facing digital isolation
with the technology and connectivity needed
to continue their learning at home. A generous
donation from Virgin Media Business helped the
fund reach as many young people across the
region as possible. Since the fund launched, it
has supported over 3,527 young people.
And as of July 2021, work has progressed to
connect several sites accessed by our people,
such as community centres and temporary
accommodation schemes, across the city-region
The Open University
with free broadband, another initiative led by
Virgin Media Business at the benefit of our
people. This, along with Virgin Media Business
teams volunteering to support people across
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester, has shown the value of
social value commitments in programmes of Technology Fund has
this kind.
supported over
3,527
A collective vision and cooperation are key to
strengthening our communities and ensuring our
residents in Greater Manchester benefit through
our digital ambitions. young people
Page 5
Chapter 1 Our commitments to Greater Manchester’s citizens
Social Value Report
“We are going to help improve communities across the UK
with world-class infrastructure and our £23 million investment
in Greater Manchester will give hundreds of public buildings the
fastest broadband available. This will bring huge social benefits
and attract further commercial funding to boost the region’s
£3 billion digital sector.”
Matt Warman MP,
Minister for Digital Infrastructure
Page 7
Social Value Report
•
1 Improving digital skills
• Creating at least 50 new apprenticeships over the next 10 years
• Funding four digital skills programmes with
the Prince’s Trust and GMCA
• Meeting a local employment target of 50%
•
2 Tackling homelessness
• D
onating £100,000 to the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity
to support the A Bed Every Night programme
• S
etting up a mixture of homeless shelters, charities and
community centres with free connectivity for five years
•
3 Empowering citizens
• G
iving 567 school children digital kit bundles to support
digital inclusion and home working
• P
roviding seven schools with professional consultancy
to improve their digital services
•
4 Helping the community
• Providing 5,000 employee volunteering hours over the next five years
to support community resilience
• Supplying two 10Gb managed internet circuits to be used by
GM LFFN contracting authorities, enabling better public
sector collaboration
Page 8
Social Value Report
The ongoing partnership between Virgin
Media Business and GMCA to deliver the
LFFN Programme is the largest of its kind
in the UK. Our work with GMCA will underpin
a wide range of digital transformation and
smart city projects aimed at improving the
lives of those who live in Greater Manchester.
In its first year alone the project has
delivered £11.8 million of economic benefit
to the region through the programme’s
commitment to local employment.
Together we’re installing up to 2,700km of
new fibre optic broadband infrastructure to
connect more than 1,500 public sites across
the city-region, bringing greater connectivity
to people in the area. We will be upgrading
the connectivity of several sites in Salford
and Manchester and a further 36 public
sites through the Tameside Cooperative.
These changes will help Greater Manchester
achieve its ambition of becoming a leading
European digital city region and making it
‘one of the best places in the world to
grow up, get on and grow old’.
In its first year alone the
project has delivered
£11.8 million
of economic benefit
to the region
Page 9
Social Value Report
A powerful partnership to bring
social benefits to Greater Manchester
“This investment in future-proof connectivity is enabling residents and
businesses across the region to benefit from new digital services, better
employment opportunities, and a more integrated and efficient public
sector which is transforming lives.”
Martin McFadyen,
Head of Public Sector at Virgin Media Business
We’re helping GMCA achieve its ambitious goals set out in Greater Manchester’s
social value framework – ‘Build Back Better’ – and the Greater Manchester Digital
Blueprint and Strategy. By providing better foundations for digital public services,
removing social and economic barriers and creating opportunities for wider
connectivity, the LFFN Programme will create employment and support for
the people who need it.
Page 10Social Value Report
Fulfilling the Greater Manchester Digital Blueprint
“Here in Greater Manchester, we remain committed to being a digital city-region with a difference,
putting people at the heart of what we do. We want our people to be empowered by the opportunity
digital brings whatever their age, location or situation, and we want our partners to work with us to
achieve our digital ambitions - which is why social value commitments such as those made by Virgin
Media Business are integral to helping us achieve the ambitions set in our Digital Blueprint.”
Councillor Andrew Western, GMCA Lead for Digital, Work and Skills
Covid-19 has highlighted the growing issue of digital exclusion in our society.
In Greater Manchester as many as 1.2 million residents could be in some way digitally excluded.
In February 2020 GMCA launched The Greater Manchester Digital Blueprint to change this,
with several priorities:
1. Empowering people– to ensure that 6. Digital talent pipeline– to create
everyone in Greater Manchester, whatever a critical mass of digital talent, positioning
their age, location or situation, can benefit Greater Manchester as the key place
from the opportunities digital brings. for businesses seeking a digitally-skilled
workforce to invest in outside of London.
2. Innovative public services– to apply
exemplary digital ideas and practice 7. Digital infrastructure– to ensure
to delivering public services in Greater that Greater Manchester has the digital
Manchester, linking innovative business, infrastructure it needs to be a world class
academic and public sector thinking with digital city region.
the needs of Greater Manchester’s people.
Through the social value work within the
3. Digitally enabling businesses– businesses
LFFN Programme we’re working with GMCA
of all sizes should have the means and skills
to make the area a 100% digitally-enabled city
to digitise their business and make the most
region. By offering digital skills programmes,
of the opportunities that brings.
free consultations to schools across the area
4. Creating and scaling digital businesses– to improve their digital service provision and
encouraging and supporting businesses to equipping students with digital kit bundles,
start, grow or move to Greater Manchester, we are directly supporting GMCA’s ambition
recognising the importance of the continued to make Greater Manchester a world leader
expansion of digital, creative and tech sector in digital.
and the opportunities this brings for the
The social value work aims to tackle issues such
people of Greater Manchester.
as digital exclusion – a key focus on the Greater
5. Global digital influencer– Greater Manchester Digital Blueprint – by giving people
Manchester is taking its position as the tools and skills with which to get online and
an internationally recognised centre of digital empower themselves to be more connected and
innovation, research and practice. better informed.
Page 11Social Value Report
“I believe the impact of this programme has been transformative in two ways.
Firstly, because of its direct impact through the work that has been undertaken
on the ground in helping to change lives. But, just as importantly, it has strongly
influenced our strategic thinking about social value by demonstrating what is
possible when the public and private sectors work towards the same goals.”
John Steward,
Digital Infrastructure Lead at GMCA
Helping Greater Manchester ‘Build Back Better’
In the wake of the Covid-19 crisis GMCA is committed to using social value to tackle
inequality in Greater Manchester. It encourages every organisation in the region to carry
out its business in a way that creates lasting benefits for the people in the area, improves
the local economy and positively contributes to the environment.
The ‘Build Back Better’ framework is built around six key priorities:
• 1 Provide the best
employment that • 4 Be part of a strong
local community.
• •
you can.
2 Keep the clean 5 Make your
air in Greater organisation
• •
Manchester. greener.
3 Create the 6 Develop a local,
employment and GM-based
skills opportunities and resilient
that we need to supply chain.
‘Build Back Better’.
Page 12Social Value Report
The LFFN Programme has already made great progress in supporting these priorities.
The project has exceeded its local employment targets, with more than 80% of the
workforce based in Greater Manchester.
We’re also carrying out volunteering work within local communities to make a difference
to those who live in them and create connections that go beyond the digital world. The
social value goals agreed with GMCA will make significant progress towards the goals
set out in the ‘Build Back Better’ framework – something that we will explore more later
in this report.
Our People, Our Place
Several of the social value goals of the LFFN Programme are aimed at supporting
young people to develop their skills and employability.
This is a direct response to GMCA’s ‘Our People, Our Place’ strategy, founded on the
ambition to make Greater Manchester one of the best places in the world to grow up,
get on and grow old. It covers health, wellbeing, work and jobs, housing, transport, skills,
training and economic growth.
Page 13Chapter 2 What we’ve achieved so far and our next steps
Social Value Report
“Through bold investments in social value initiatives that
support Greater Manchester’s Digital Blueprint, we are seeing
real benefit to our people including through the Greater Manchester
Technology Fund, community volunteering and through supporting
Greater Manchester wide priorities including homelessness and
digital inclusion.”
Councillor Andrew Western,
GMCA Lead for Digital, Work and Skills
Page 15Social Value Report
•
1 Improving digital skills
• 2
7 new apprentices across a variety of roles, including
field technician, fibre engineer, project management and
telesale roles, since March 2020
• F
unded four digital skills programmes with the
Prince’s Trust and GMCA, supporting a total of 28 young people
• O
ver Y1 of project rollout, achieved an average
local employment rate of 75%
•
2 Tackling homelessness
• D
onated £100,000 to the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity to support
the A Bed Every Night programme
• S
et up 15 out of 21 homeless shelters, community centres and charities
with free connectivity for five years
•
3 Empowering citizens
• H
elped GMCA provide 567 school children with digital kit
bundles to support digital inclusion and home working
•
4 Helping the community
• M
ore than 1000 volunteering hours delivered in 2021
to support community resilience
Page 16Social Value Report
Supporting Providing the best
The Digital Talent Pipeline employment you can
Inequality has been an issue in Greater Manchester should be a place
Greater Manchester for a long time. where people can fulfil their ambitions. That
means making it a place where people want
One in four children living in the area now live
to live and work.
in poverty (26%) and 36,700 people over the
age of 16 (5%) are unemployed – one of the While employment growth has been
highest proportions in the country. strong over recent years, too many Great
Manchester residents are in low paid and
With the North West being hit particularly
insecure roles, with little opportunity
badly by Covid-19, the pandemic threatens
to progress.
to exacerbate existing socio-economic
problems even further, potentially widening With the pandemic only highlighting
inequality and limiting the life chances of these issues further, providing world class
local residents. employment opportunities will be vital for
reducing poverty and giving young people
Within its Greater Manchester Social Value
the confidence they need to succeed.
Framework, GMCA has identified a number
of strategic priorities that will be key to Creating employment and skills
rebuilding the region’s economy and society opportunities to Build Back Better
following Covid-19, with creating skills and
As we all learn to live and work in a
providing the best employment possible
post-Covid economy, Greater Manchester
being seen as two of the most essential
needs to ensure an appropriately skilled
components for levelling up society and
workforce is available locally to meet
ensuring equal opportunities for all.
immediate and emerging needs and
that the talent pipeline is in place to
future-proof jobs, businesses
and workers.
There is a huge opportunity to inspire
the region’s young people to learn about
their future career prospects and help them
1 in 4 to understand the breadth of opportunities
available to them, regardless of their
children living in the background or current circumstances.
area now live in poverty As a key strategic partner for GMCA
we’ve already taken great strides to support
36,700
local employment and equip youngsters with
the digital skills they need to thrive.
Below are two live examples of
people over the age of 16 how Virgin Media Business’s LFFN
are unemployed – one of programme is delivering social value for
Greater Manchester and its citizens through
the highest proportions in
investment in skills and apprenticeships.
the country
Page 17Social Value Report
Spotlight: Equipping Greater Manchester’s
young people with digital skills
“The Prince’s Trust really gave me a confidence boost and encouraged me to be creative in ways and
avenues that I previously hadn’t considered. I really enjoyed this course and can’t begin to explain the
amount of anxiety it relieved.”
Young person supported through a programme
part-funded by Virgin Media Business
43% of young people supported by The Prince’s Between October 2020 and March 2021,
Trust in Greater Manchester are not in education, Virgin Media Business funding helped deliver
employment or training. three dynamic ‘Get Started’ programmes,
supporting a total of 28 young people in
It’s statistics like this that led the youth charity
Greater Manchester.
to partner with GMCA in January 2020 to help
close the skills gap by empowering local young With topics ranging from theatre studies
people to realise their true potential. to digital skills, each five-day programme
enabled the youngsters to hear from industry
Through the multi-million pound government-
experts, learn transferable skills and gain vital
backed Future Workforce Fund, the partnership
sector understanding to better equip them
aims to support children to secure the skills and
to fulfil their potential and succeed in
experience they need for later life. This will be
a professional environment.
particularly important for youngsters who have
been disproportionately affected by Covid-19.
86% 86%
86% said they feel more 86% said the course
or much more prepared for enabled them to be
a career in the digital sector confident or thoroughly
confident in using new skills
Following the initial success of the ‘Get Started’ programme we’ll be supporting The Prince’s Trust
and GMCA to run similar programmes throughout 2021, including Get Started in Tech and a special
Digital and Tech Festival with Ada.
Page 18Social Value Report
Spotlight: Local employment and apprenticeships
50% >80%
LFFN programme More than 80%
local employment Local employment rate
target of 50% after year one of project
Alongside our local employment targets we’ve
committed to providing 50 apprenticeships over
10 years in Greater Manchester. Ewan Roach
Since March 2020, we’ve hired 27 new Greater Completed his L3 Civil Engineering
apprenticeship in December 2020 and is now
Manchester based apprentices, far exceeding working as a Principal Delivery Engineer
our year-on-year commitment.
Our Apprenticeship Team runs the scheme, “No two days are the same, it makes you
which is available regardless of age, experience grow up – there’s a lot of responsibility
or background and offers the chance to train, and people you need to network with.
retrain or upskill. Several apprentices have It builds your confidence.”
already completed their training and are now
moving into full-time roles across Virgin Media.
Samuel Chilvers Jasmin Caine
Completed an L4 Associate Project Manager Currently completing
apprenticeship this year and is now working full a L4 Associate Project
time as a Junior Project Manager Management apprenticeship
“With an apprenticeship, you’re earning “The recognition from companies like
as you’re learning. I’ve learned loads Virgin Media that university isn’t the
about the day-to-day life of being in only way into work is massively
business and it’s given me transferrable important. You get both technical
skills from job role to job role.” experience and practical experience.”
Page 19Social Value Report
Tackling homelessness and rough sleeping
“Whilst the city centre’s skyline is filled with cranes, our streets should not be crowded with
people who have no roof over their head. Rough sleeping and homelessness are not inevitable
consequences of a 21st century economy.”
Andy Burnham,
Mayor of Greater Manchester
Earlier this year, GMCA launched a new This last point is particularly critical given
strategy for Greater Manchester called the growing issue of homelessness and rough
‘Our People, Our Place’. sleeping in the region.
Written in collaboration with 10 councils, In 2009-10, 1,857 applications were accepted
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, to local authorities for rehousing because of
the NHS, transport, police and fire services, homelessness.
the plan sets out a collective ambition to make
This increased by 85% to a peak of 3,428 in 2017.
Greater Manchester one of the best places
to live and work in the world. And while progress has been made since
then, work is still needed to meet GMCA’s goal
By harnessing the strengths of the region’s
of ending all types of homelessness in the future
people and places it hopes to create a more
and supporting those in immediate need on
inclusive and productive city-region where
the streets.
everyone can succeed.
We’re playing an active role in delivering
An essential pillar of this plan is to create
homelessness support and ensuring that shelters
safe and affordable housing for all residents
and community centres have access to free and
so that people from all walks of life have access
enhanced connectivity.
to affordable, high-quality housing and that
no one has to sleep rough on Greater
Manchester’s streets.
‘Our People,
Our Place’
Page 20Social Value Report
Spotlight: Delivering homelessness support
through the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity
In November 2018, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham launched
the ‘A Bed Every Night’ (ABEN) programme, which sought to provide ‘a comfy
bed, warm welcome, and personal support for anyone sleeping on the streets
of Greater Manchester who cannot access other accommodation.’
The scheme was set up to support Greater Manchester’s goal to radically
reduce homelessness in the region by providing access to emergency shelter
accessible over consecutive nights and enabling a longer-term move to more
suitable accommodation.
Since May 2020, we’ve donated £100,000 to help the charity address the immediate
challenge of getting people experiencing homelessness off the streets of Manchester.
To understand the impact that this donation will have on addressing homelessness in
Greater Manchester we spoke to the head of the Mayor’s Charity, Vanessa Haworth.
“We are hugely grateful for this donation from Virgin Media
Business, as part of its ongoing work with GMCA. The funds
will go towards the ‘A Bed Every Night’ programme, supporting
rough sleepers across the region. This is part of our commitment
to provide assistance to the homelessness sector’s emergency
response, in addition to our work pioneering prevention.
Together, change is possible.”
Venessa Haworth,
Head of Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity
Page 21Social Value Report
The Mayor’s Charity believes that everyone has
the right to a safe and stable home. For Vanessa
and her team, street homelessness and rough
sleeping form only the tip of the iceberg. More
needs to be done to address homelessness
and to help those at risk of homelessness.
The charity is placing a big emphasis on
using data and evidence to create real
change and ensure people are kept off
the streets permanently.
It aims to significantly reduce homelessness
by 2024 through funding innovative and
traditional projects, with an emphasis on
building links across the Greater Manchester
Homelessness network.
In the two and a half years since its inception
there’s been a 52% reduction in rough sleeping
across Greater Manchester.
Vanessa emphasised the importance of the
private and public sector coming together to
tackle issues around homelessness and praised
Greater Manchester for being forward thinking in
its approach.
As they look to the future, Vanessa and her
team plan to shift their investment strategy to
help address the deeper issues surrounding
homelessness.
Vanessa says the charity will spread funds
more evenly across four key tiers – emergency
accommodation, temporary accommodation,
stable/permanent accommodation and
prevention – as it seeks to fulfil its vision of
ensuring that any experience of homelessness
becomes as rare and as brief as possible.
52%
reduction in rough
sleeping across
Greater Manchester
Page 22Social Value Report
Spotlight: Equipping homeless shelters
and community centres with free connectivity
“I think that everybody has something to give. Companies have a lot to give. Social responsibility
and corporate responsibility to people. To give something back to the community and improve whatever
it may be. It’s fantastic that we’re getting it more and more, and different areas are realising that they
have some sort of community responsibility.”
Tina Harrison (MBE), Group Lead at Growing Together Radcliffe
In an increasingly digital age, many are still being Working with seven boroughs and their
left behind, with homeless people facing a higher respective community teams alongside
risk of digital exclusion. the GMCA, we will deliver free and enhanced
connectivity to a total of 21 homeless shelters
Helping someone get online can be life-
and community centres in the region.
changing. Digital literacy helps grow confidence,
independence and wellbeing, giving people 15 out of 21 sites are already installed or in the
greater choice, control and opportunities to process of being installed. This so far includes
explore new avenues. a mixture of charities and community centres in
Rochdale, Stockport, Trafford, temporary housing
That’s why we’re committed to equipping
schemes in Bolton, Wigan and Oldham and
charities, community centres, temporary
a community hub in Radcliffe, Bury.
accommodation and homeless shelters within
Greater Manchester with free and enhanced We spoke to Tina Harrison, MBE and
connectivity (via Voom Broadband) for the Group Lead at Growing Together Radcliffe,
next five years. to understand the impact that she expects the
free connectivity to have on the centre and the
That connectivity can help vulnerable people
people in the local area.
apply for jobs, access digital services (e.g. for
housing benefits) and also keep in touch with “It’s going to be a big help. We’re looking at doing
friends, family and support networks. a drop in café for youngsters, so they’ll be able to
access the internet to do online work for school
Alongside this connectivity we’re also looking
because they may not have it at home.”
to add volunteering to offer skills and training
support to the service users at these sites. Tina told us that the connectivity will also
benefit adults and the elderly, helping them set
One example of this is Age UK in Trafford,
up online banking, acquire the digital skills they
where local Virgin Media Business team
need to book GP appointments or learn to use
members have already contacted the charity
the internet safely.
to offer their help with Age UK’s ‘Silver Surfers’
digital skills workshops for older people. Through this work and our digital support
for Greater Manchester’s youth we aim to
support Mayor Andy Burnham’s plans to help
all under-25s and over-75s in Greater Manchester
get online.
Page 23Social Value Report
Empowering people with digital opportunities
Greater Manchester is home to the largest In April 2020, GMCA launched a new Digital
digital and creative cluster outside London. Blueprint which set out a three-year approach to
becoming a top five European digital city region
Right now the region has over 10,0000 digital
where communities, businesses, academia and
and creative businesses, generating £5 billion
public services work together to innovate and
of GDP each year.
ensure that growth benefits everyone.
It’s a place where high value jobs are being
It’s this collaborative, people-first mindset
created for local people every day and where
that binds everything together. Every goal set
investment in digital infrastructure, connectivity
out in the plan aims to improve the lives of
and transport is helping businesses thrive, from
local residents and empower them to fulfil the
start-ups and home-grown companies to world-
opportunities that a digitally fuelled city region
recognised brands.
provides, from accessing digital skills to new
This is all part of Greater Manchester’s strategy employment opportunities.
to become a 100% digitally-enabled city region.
But empowering people starts with ensuring
that everyone – whatever their age, location or
situation – can benefit from the region’s place as
a digital leader.
Digital exclusion in Greater Manchester
1.2 million
residents in Greater Manchester could be excluded
in some way to access the benefits digital brings
Over
700,000
people in Greater Manchester are only using
the internet in a narrow or limited way
A further
450,0000
are classified as ‘non-users’
Page 24Social Value Report
The likelihood of having access to the internet “Not having a computer or knowing that their
from home increases as income does. internet connectivity may not be as strong as it
should be is terribly isolating. You’re not seeing
Only 51% of UK households earning between
that face of the member of staff who makes a
£6,000 and £10,000 have home internet access,
difference in your life.
compared with 99% of households with
an income over £40,000.
1% of our children are classified by the
4
The link between people experiencing poverty government as disadvantaged. Parents are
and digital exclusion is clear: if you are on a having to make really difficult choices, where
low income you have much less chance of there might only be one device in a household
being online. with two or three children.”
Glyn Potts, Headteacher,
While this issue has existed for a long time, the
Newman RC College
impact of Covid-19 on certain communities has
highlighted the divide further, illustrating that
digital inclusion should now be considered a
human right and connectivity a basic utility.
When disadvantaged children were picking up all
of their learning from home during the pandemic,
many were unable to access the same online Only
learning resources as children whose parents
had access to IT skills and resources such as
computers and Wi-Fi.
51%
of UK households earning
These children may have had to resort to between £6,000 and
using basic websites and sharing resources
£10,000 have home
with siblings, which restricted their access
even further and led them to miss out on internet access
valuable learning opportunities.
Page 25Social Value Report
To tackle the issue head-on, GMCA set up the
Greater Manchester Digital Inclusion Taskforce
in December 2020.
Bringing together industry, voluntary, community
and social enterprise sector, public sector
partners, local schools and health, the taskforce
is shaping an action plan to address the
interrelated barriers to digital inclusion and
the digital divide, including connectivity,
accessibility, affordability and skills.
But addressing digital exclusion doesn’t
just lie on the shoulders of the public sector.
Collaboration with businesses is also vital
to making a difference and getting people
digitally engaged.
Working directly with GMCA through the
LFFN programme, Virgin Media Business has
been driving the improvement of connectivity
and access to digital services for young people
in the region.
Acting quickly enabled more students to take
part in online lessons, empowering them to work
independently, reconnect with their peers and
complete homework without falling behind.
As a result of this support,
many schools saw an increase
in the number of hours
of schoolwork completed
and improved engagement
with teachers and tutors
through regular ‘check-ins’
and pastoral support.
Page 26Social Value Report
Spotlight: Helping Greater Manchester’s
young people get online
“Digital exclusion is always a consideration of ours. We need to ensure that pupils with limited
or no access to a laptop or internet are not disadvantaged, and that their ability to learn is not
negatively impacted.”
Andy Potts, Assistant Principle at The Hathershaw College
4x higher
digital exclusion levels among schools with the highest
number of pupils eligible for a free school meal.
19%
number of pupils in Greater Manchester claiming
free school meals during the pandemic.
In direct response to the closure of Acting quickly enabled more students to
schools in 2020, GMCA invested in digital take part in online lessons, empowering them
kit bundles for disadvantaged and digitally to work independently, reconnect with their peers
excluded pupils through the Greater and complete homework without falling behind.
Manchester Technology Fund.
As a result of this support, many schools saw
We supported this effort with a donation an increase in the number of hours of schoolwork
of £50,000, helping the scheme provide 567 completed and improved engagement with
digital kit bundles – including laptops and teachers and tutors through regular
dongles with preloaded data to enable ‘check-ins’ and pastoral support.
internet access – to those most in need.
Page 27Social Value Report
Spotlight: Equipping schools across Greater
Manchester with improved digital services
Following the immediate need to support disadvantaged students at home, the attention
now turns towards ensuring that schools in Greater Manchester have access to world-class
digital services.
We’ve offered professional consultancy to schools across the region, providing free and
comprehensive Wi-Fi surveys to help improve their overall wireless provision.
GMCA helped coordinate the offer to schools across the seven boroughs, with the aim
of aiding classroom learning and boosting all services that are reliant on high quality Wi-Fi.
Page 28Social Value Report
Breaking down barriers to help Greater Manchester
become a global digital influencer
In the previous section we talked about But this vision will only be achieved through
the launch of the third Greater Manchester new approaches which are shaped by the
Strategy – ‘Our People, Our Place’ – which communities themselves. That’s why Virgin
focuses on ensuring that all local residents Media Business and GMCA have been working
can benefit from economic growth and the closely with public, private, and voluntary sector
opportunities it brings throughout their lives. partners to engage with local boroughs. We want
their combined ideas, energy and determination
Alongside creating safe and affordable housing
to break down those barriers and carve out
for all, the plan aims to tackle the underlying
a new path to prosperity.
barriers to participation and productivity. Making
sure every child has equal opportunities to learn, It also means investing in digital technology
for example, or creating fulfilling jobs for people that will create stronger standards and shared
to progress and develop and creating safer, services that will drive further improvements and
stronger communities where people can live value for money.
happier lives and older people are valued.
We’re proud to play our part in supporting local
community projects, delivering better network
infrastructure through the LFFN programme that
will encourage more public sector collaboration
and lead to better outcomes for Greater
Manchester’s residents.
Page 29Social Value Report
Spotlight: Volunteering in the community
“We’ve had a focus on vaccination centres within Manchester and Wigan – to have an elderly person
grip your arm, nervous about being vaccinated, and to have their trust in your hands, it really makes my
team and I feel special and proud to volunteer.”
Julian Holland, Community Lead Regional Manager, Virgin Media Business
Community is a big focus for both GMCA and In Trafford the focus was on transformation.
Virgin Media Business. Because of this we’ve Volunteers have been supporting local park
been working closely with neighbourhood teams maintenance and planting.
across seven Greater Manchester councils to
The ‘Up Top’ project has seen 20 Virgin Media
identify high-impact volunteering opportunities.
Business team members reclaim the unused top
We’ve committed to providing 1,000 hours of floor of a multi-storey car park for community
volunteering every year. We are already closing in use, creating a thriving curiosity garden with
on the 1,000-hour mark for 2021 and will continue a community allotment, pop-up food vendors,
to volunteer beyond our baseline commitments. monthly cinemas and live music events. The
project is focused on bringing the community
Local staff are each given five paid volunteering
together and reclaiming ownership of the space
days to help deliver social value projects at a
for all those who live around it.
community level. They’ve already volunteered
their time across Trafford, Bury, Manchester, All this volunteering work is ongoing and is
Salford and Wigan. continuing to make a difference to the people
of Greater Manchester to this day. The work
Team members in Bury delivered white goods
is making a positive contribution to the lives of
and children’s clothing to Covid impacted
those who live in the area while bringing a sense
communities, including a baby bundle pram,
of fulfilment, motivation and community to
baskets and clothing to a vulnerable mother.
members of our team.
Volunteer drivers also helped transport
vaccinations between Bury’s vaccination
centres, ensuring they got to the places
that needed them most.
Page 30Social Value Report
Just the start of the journey…
When we first partnered with GMCA in March That’s why it is so important to work collectively
2020 we set out to deliver the largest Local Full to identify the problems and then create the right
Fibre Networks Programme in the UK, providing solutions. The phase ‘there is no one-size-fits-all
advanced connectivity that will fuel a wide range approach’ is often overused, but in this case it
of digital transformation and smart city projects really is true.
across the region.
Adaptability is crucial. We quickly learned
The ultimate goal is to help Greater Manchester that plans can and will change as a result of
deliver on its bold ambition to become a world- external factors beyond anyone’s control. So
class digital city-region, where everyone – no while having a proper strategy in place is vital,
matter who they are or where they come from authorities must also be prepared to work closely
– can get online and access the services they with suppliers to maximise the
need to thrive. social value delivered.
While better connectivity is important to When the country went into the first national
delivering on these ambitions, the programme lockdown, for example, we agreed to provide
was never just about technology. It was also financial support ahead of schedule to help
about investing in people through a range of ensure students at risk of digital exclusion
bold social value initiatives that would directly could access the right tools and resources
engage with local communities on the issues at home.
that matter most, from tackling social and
Developing the right programme works best
digital inequality to providing the skills and
when there is a holistic strategy across the entire
resources people need for the future.
operation to help steer where businesses can
We have enjoyed the opportunity to work work with authorities to deliver social value.
alongside GMCA to understand and help
In this case, GMCA’s ‘Our People, Our Place’
overcome the challenges Greater Manchester
strategy provided an excellent blueprint for
is facing, particularly in light of the impact of
public, private and voluntary sector collaboration
Covid-19 on the region’s economy and its citizens.
across health, transport and the economy.
With the right strategy and investment in place,
By listening to what was happening on the
it’s possible to tackle some of the biggest issues
ground we were able to gather more intelligence
facing the communities right now.
at a community level, which helped ensure we
Not all of the answers to these wider problems were delivering the right impact for Greater
sit in the pages of this report. While authorities Manchester.
across the country are facing similar challenges,
We are learning more about the impact of our
they also have issues that are unique to
social value work in communities every day. Our
them alone.
partnership with GMCA is continuing to thrive,
and we’re excited to see what the future holds for
this important region.
Page 31Want to learn more about Virgin Media Business’s social impact across the UK? Visit our website or get in touch today to discuss your own digital transformation projects 0808 231 2679
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